The Premier League season may be over but there is plenty of intrigue to be had in the transfer window, so we’ve transferred Erling Haaland to Manchester City on Football Manager 2022 to see how he’s going to do!
The Norway international has made a big-money move to the Etihad Stadium from Borussia Dortmund and will be out to ensure that City retain the Premier League title they won this season.
We’ve booted up the Football Manager 2022 Editor and moved Haaland to City, so we can see if he manages to tear up the league as many expect him to.
The editor gives you the ability to edit pretty much anything in the game and, to add some realism, we’ve also added Fulham, Bournemouth, and Nottingham Forest to the top-flight, while relegating Burnley, Watford, and Norwich.
Let’s take a look at how Haaland got on in his first season under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium…
Where did Man City finish in the league?
Top.
City enjoyed a sensational season with Haaland up front, winning the title with a staggering 102 points.
They only lost twice all season, to Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, and recorded three draws, against Newcastle United, Spurs, and Leeds United.
Those results against Spurs actually tally very well with real life; Spurs beat City twice in real life this season, downing them 1-0 at home and 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium.
City were also the highest scorers in the league, netting 84 goals in 38 games and conceding just 25.
They finished the season 18 points clear of second-placed Liverpool. The rest of the top four was made up of Manchester United and Chelsea.
How many goals did Haaland score?
Lots!
Haaland was lethal in front of goal for City in all competitions.
He ended the campaign with 35 goals in 51 games, with 24 of those coming in the league.
Haaland scored seven times in cup competitions and four times in European competition.
How did City do in other competitions?
Pretty well.
City won the FA Cup and had to overcome a pretty difficult run to do so. They beat Doncaster Rovers in the third round, then beat Wolves, Arsenal, Burnley and West Ham to set up a titanic final against Liverpool.
They won that game 2-0 thanks to goals from Fernandinho and Gabriel Jesus.
City were beaten in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup, however. They drew 2-2 with Arsenal in 90 minutes and ultimately lost on penalties. Benjamin Pavard, a summer signing, was sent off after just a couple of minutes, and Haaland scored both goals, but Fernandinho missed his spot-kick.
In Europe, City reached the Champions League semi-finals but were beaten by Bayern Munich, losing 4-3 on aggregate. They played PSG in both the group stages and the knockout rounds and won every game, though.
City won the Community Shield by beating Leicester City 3-0 at Wembley.
Did Haaland win any individual awards?
Yep!
The Norway international was recognised for his form and was heavily lauded by those who hand out the individual prizes.
Haaland won the Best Player in Europe prize and was also voted the Champions League Forward of the Season.
Haaland was also the Premier League’s top goalscorer, winning the Golden Boot, and had a clean sweep of awards in England.
He won the English Footballer of the Year award, the English Players’ Player of the Year award, and the English Players’ Young Player of the Year award.
So, yeah, it’s fair to say this signing worked out.
Who else did City sign?
As we’ve hinted earlier, City also raided Bayern Munich to secure the signing of Benjamin Pavard.
They also paid over £35m to sign Emre Can from Borussia Dortmund, while also doing a deal for Sporting CP defender Goncalo Inacio. He cost £38.5m.
A fair amount of investment there, as Pep shored up his defence and also brought in a new defensive midfielder as a replacement for the ageing Fernandinho.
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